Portable electronic apparatus

ABSTRACT

An object of the present invention is to provide a cellular telephone terminal in which intuitive operation is possible, by providing a rotary dial portion. A cellular telephone terminal is provided with: a body that includes an operation unit side body, a display part side body, and a hinge mechanism that connects the operation unit side body g and the display part side body; a rotary dial portion, which is rotatable around a rotational axis, and which is attached to the body with a standard position; a mark which serves as an indicator for a rotation amount of the rotary dial portion; and a control part that causes one application among a plurality of applications to enter a state in which activation thereof is possible, based on the rotation amount of the rotary dial portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/451,357, filed Apr. 19, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/414,268, filed Mar. 30, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.8,185,170, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Applications Nos.2008-088715, filed Mar. 28, 2008; JP 2008-088717, filed Mar. 28, 2008;JP 2008-116324, filed Apr. 25, 2008; JP 2008-141748, filed May 29, 2008;and JP 2008-144421, filed Jun. 2, 2008; the entire contents of which allare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus havinga rotary dial.

2. Related Art

A more intuitive user interface is demanded in a portable electronicapparatus like a cellular telephone terminal. For example, in a cellulartelephone terminal of a flip type having a hinge portion, a cellulartelephone terminal is known in which a hinge portion is provided with arotary dial to be used for a volume control and the like (e.g., refer toPatent Document 1).

In recent years, the portable electronic apparatus like the cellulartelephone terminal is made to be multifunctional by installing a radioand television reception function in addition to a principal function.

When the user performs a predetermined operation, the standby screentransitions to a menu selection screen for selecting the otherfunctions, and the user selects a predetermined function on the menuselection screen, thereby making it possible to activate a desiredfunction.

However, since a number of functions are listed on the menu selectionscreen, it is difficult for an inexperienced user to perform anoperation smoothly, and such a user may hesitate to use the portableelectronic apparatus itself in some cases.

Incidentally, a digital camera is known which performs a mode changeoperation in only one function (a photographing function) by a rotarydial. A menu that assists in the mode change operation such as changingfrom a normal photographing mode to a movie mode (recording animatedimages) or a continuous shooting mode (taking multiple still images in ashort time) is assigned to be selectable to this rotary dial (e.g.,refer to Patent Document 2).

[Patent Publication 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, FirstPublication No. H06-90200

[Patent Publication 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, FirstPublication No. 2001-245189

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A multiple-menu selecting system by a rotary dial such as that used in adigital camera is not currently employed in a portable electronicapparatus having more than one function.

Moreover, such portable electronic apparatus is different from thedigital camera having only photographing function. The multifunctionalportable electronic apparatus has two or more independent functions thatthe digital camera does not have, and a standby screen as a top screen.

Therefore, merely applying a technique as described in Patent Document 2to the multifunctional portable electronic apparatus causesinconvenience in operating and using.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctionalportable electronic apparatus in which intuitive operations are possibleby providing a rotary dial portion.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, a portable electronicapparatus according to the present invention is characterized byincluding: a display part; a rotary dial portion that is attached to abody so as to be rotatable in a predetermined direction; a rotationdetecting part that detects rotation of the rotary dial portion; and acontrol part that controls such that a predetermined application isactivated in accordance with a rotation state detected by the rotationdetecting part, and a display screen corresponding to the activatedpredetermined application is displayed on the display part.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat: the body is configured with at least a first body having thedisplay part, a second body having an operation unit, and a hingemechanism that connects the first body and the second body to bechangeable in o an opened state and a closed state by way of the hingemechanism; in which an opened/closed detecting part that detects whetheror not the bodies are in the closed state is included, and in which, thecontrol part controls such that, in a case in which the opened/closeddetecting part detects that the bodies are not in the closed state whenthe rotation detecting part has detected the rotation of the rotary dialportion, a predetermined application in accordance with the rotationstate is activated, and a display screen corresponding to the activatedpredetermined application is displayed on the display part, and in acase in which the opened/closed detecting part detects that the bodiesare in the closed state when the rotation detecting part has detectedthe rotation, a new application is not activated.

It is preferable for the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus tobe provided with: a body that includes a first body having a firstsurface, a second body having a second surface, and a hinge mechanism,which connects the first body and the second body foldable; and a markportion, which is disposed at a position of the bodies, and which servesas an indicator for a rotation position of the rotary dial portion,wherein the position can be visually recognized externally both in theopened state and in the closed state, in which the rotary dial portionis attached to be rotatable and to have a standard position, and inwhich the control part causes one application among a plurality ofapplications to enter a state in which activation thereof is possible,based on the rotation position of the rotary dial portion.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat the control part activates one application among a plurality ofapplications, based on a rotation position in the rotary dial portion,which is detected by the rotation detecting part.

It is preferable for the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus tobe provided with: a memory unit that stores a order of applicationsassociated with rotation amount when each application program isactivated; and a display object selecting part, which refers the memoryunit and identifies an application corresponding to the rotation amountdetected by the rotation detecting part, and which selects a displayobject corresponding to the identified application, wherein, when therotary dial portion is rotated, the display object selecting partidentifies an application corresponding to the rotation amount detectedby the rotation detecting part, and selects a display objectcorresponding to the identified application as well as display objectscorresponding to applications adjacent to the identified application inaccordance with the order, and wherein the control part controls suchthat the display objects thus selected are displayed on the displaypart.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat identifiable abstract symbols are allocated to a surface of therotary dial portion in predetermined intervals in a rotation direction,respectively.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat a plurality of indicators is allocated to a surface of the rotarydial portion in predetermined intervals in a rotation direction,respectively.

It is preferable for the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus tobe provided with an application determination part, which determines andexecutes an application corresponding to the indicator identified byrotation of the rotary dial portion; and a device that performs, in acase in which an application determined in the application determinationpart is a particular application, predetermined processing in theapplication, wherein a plurality of the particular applications use thedevice, and wherein, among the plurality of indicators, indicatorscorresponding to the plurality of particular applications are disposednext to one another on the rotary dial portion.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat the control part controls the device to be operated in a case inwhich an application determined by the application determination part isone of the particular of applications.

It is preferable for the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus tobe provided with a touch sensor that detects contact to the rotary dialportion, in which, in a case in which the contact to the rotary dialportion is detected by the touch sensor, the control part causes oneapplication among a plurality of applications to enter a state in whichactivation thereof is possible, based on rotation detected by the rotarydial portion.

In the aforementioned portable electronic apparatus, it is preferablethat, after the contact is detected by the touch sensor, the rotationdetecting part enters a state in which rotation in the rotary dialportion can be detected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cellular telephoneterminal in which intuitive operations are possible by providing arotary dial portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing an appearance of a cellular telephone terminal;

FIG. 2 is a view showing an appearance of the cellular telephoneterminal in a closed state, which is viewed from a display part sidebody;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an appearance of the cellular telephoneterminal in the closed state, which is viewed from an operation unitside body;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a vicinity of a rotary dial portion in anenlarged manner;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating functions of the rotary dial portion;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the rotary dial portion that is viewed from arear face thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a relationship between positional pointsand a counter portion, which are formed on the rotary dial portion;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cellulartelephone terminal;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram in a processing unit;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the cellular telephoneterminal;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a menu image M that is displayed on adisplay in an opened state;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a menu image M1 that is displayed on asub display in the closed state;

FIG. 13 is a view showing an appearance of a cellular telephone terminalin another embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view showing an appearance of the cellular telephoneterminal in the closed state in the other embodiment, which is viewedfrom the display part side body;

FIG. 15 is a view showing an appearance of a cellular telephone terminalin the closed state in another embodiment, which is viewed from thedisplay part side body;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a control part at thetime of activating a certain application when the bodies are in theopened state;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the control part atthe time of activating a certain application when the bodies are eitherin the opened state or the closed state;

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating rotation of the rotary dial portion and adisplay mode of the display part;

FIGS. 19A to 19E are views illustrating relationships between respectivesymbols allocated to the rotary dial portion and applications to beactivated;

FIG. 20 is a table illustrating relationships between the respectivesymbols allocated to the rotary dial portion and the applications to beactivated;

FIG. 21 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cellulartelephone terminal;

FIG. 22 is a functional block diagram showing functions of theprocessing unit provided to the cellular telephone terminal; and

FIG. 23 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cellulartelephone terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter. First, aconfiguration of a cellular telephone terminal 1 (as one example of theportable electronic apparatus) is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to7. FIG. 1 shows an external view of the cellular telephone terminal 1that is an example of the cellular telephone terminal according to thepresent invention. In addition, FIG. 2 shows an external view of thecellular telephone terminal 1 in a closed state, which is viewed from adisplay part side body 3. Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows an external view ofthe cellular telephone terminal 1 in a closed state, which is viewedfrom an operation unit side body 2. Moreover, FIG. 4 shows an enlargedview of a vicinity of a rotary dial portion. Additionally, FIG. 5 is adiagram showing functions of the rotary dial portion. FIG. 6 is a planview of the rotary dial portion which is viewed from a rear face 41Cthereof. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a relationship between positionalpoints 43 and a counter portion 44, which are formed on the rotary dialportion 41.

First Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 1, the cellular telephone terminal 1 is provided withthe operation unit side body 2 as a first body piece having a firstfront surface portion 10A as a first surface, and the display part sidebody 3 as a second body piece having a second front surface portion 20Aas a second surface. An upper end portion of the operation unit sidebody 2 and a lower end portion of the display part side body 3 areconnected via a hinge mechanism 4A, which is disposed in a connectingportion 4, and which is openable and closable around anopening-and-closing axis.

By relatively rotating the operation unit side body 2 and the displaypart side body 3, which are connected via the hinge mechanism 4A, thecellular telephone terminal 1 is configured so as to be openable andclosable around the opening-and-closing axis, between an opened state inwhich the first front surface portion 10A in the operation unit sidebody 2 and the second front surface portion 20A in the display part sidebody 3 are separated from each other, and a closed state in which thefirst front surface portion 10A in the operation unit side body 2 andthe second front surface portion 20A in the operation unit side body 2are adjacently disposed so as to face each other. The opened state andthe closed state in the cellular telephone terminal 1 are detected by anopened/closed sensor 300 (refer to FIG. 8) that is configured with amagnet (not shown) disposed in the display part side body 3 and a hallelement (not shown) disposed in the operation unit side body 2.

Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 is disposed to the cellulartelephone terminal 1, the rotary dial portion 41 being attached so as tobe rotatable around a rotational axis Z that is set to be substantiallycoaxial with the hinge mechanism 4A.

The connecting portion 4 is configured with a part of the operation unitside body 2 and a part of the display part side body 3. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the part, which constitutes the connecting portion 4, ofthe operation unit side body 2 has an exposed portion 120 that isexposed externally both in the opened state and in the closed state. Amark 42 is formed to the exposed portion 120 so as to serve as anindicator of rotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41 to bedescribed later. The mark 42 as a mark portion serves as an indicator ofthe rotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41.

The operation unit side body 2 has the first front surface portion 10Aand a first rear surface portion 10B. As shown in FIG. 1, an operationunit 11 that is covered in the closed state and a microphone 12 to whichsound of the user is input when conversing are disposed to the firstfront surface portion 10A in the operation unit side body 2. As shown inFIG. 3, an imaging portion 17, which is configured with a CCD (ChargeCoupled Device) camera for taking an image of a subject, and alight-emitting portion 18, which outputs a certain amount of light, areformed on the first rear surface portion 10B in the operation unit sidebody 2.

The operation unit 11 is configured with: function setting operationkeys 13 including keys for operating various settings and variousfunctions (applications) such as an address book function and a mailfunction, an off-hook key and an on-hook key; input operation keys 14for inputting telephone numbers, characters and the like in a mail andthe like; a selection operation key 15 for performing selections,scrolling and the like in various operations; and a control key 16 forperforming volume control and the like.

Here, in addition to the aforementioned function setting operation keys13, as an operation member for selecting a predetermined function(application), the rotary dial portion 41 to be described later isdisposed to the cellular telephone terminal 1.

Moreover, the operation unit side body 2 accommodates: a key structureportion; a key substrate; a casing; a circuit board including areference potential patterned layer and various electronic componentssuch as an RF (Radio Frequency) module for a cellular phone; an antennaportion; a rechargeable battery 80; and a counter portion 44 (refer toFIG. 7) that is used for detecting the rotation amount in the rotarydial portion 41 to be described later.

A display 21 as a first display part for displaying various informationand a sound output unit 22 for outputting sound of the other party ofthe conversation are disposed on the second front surface 20A in thedisplay part side body 3.

The display 21 displays a communication/call standby image as a topscreen. Moreover, the display 21 is configured so as to be capable ofdisplaying a menu image M (refer to FIG. 11) including an image showingcontents of the functions. More specifically, the menu image M isdisplayed on the display 21 in a case in which a touch sensor 200 to bedescribed later detects that an electric conductor such as a finger hastouched the rotary dial portion 41.

The menu image M is configured to include an image (includingcharacters) showing the content of the function (application)corresponding to an icon I to be described later that is positioned in aselection position S beside the mark 42. The menu image M is configuredto resemble a display aspect of a function indicating portion 41B in therotary dial portion 41, which is viewed from the operation unit 11 sideand the display 21 side in the opened state. In the present embodiment,the menu image M is configured to include names (abbreviations) of thefunctions corresponding to the applications. The menu image M may beconfigured to include an image that is similar (e.g., analogous) to theicon I in the function indicating portion 41B. Moreover, the display 21is configured so as to be capable of displaying an image that is basedon an application for operating a predetermined function. It should benoted that the display 21 is disposed in a position that is concealed inthe closed state.

Here, the display 21 is configured so as to be capable of displaying animage taken by the imaging portion 17 in a case in which an applicationfor operating a camera function is activated. The display 21 isconfigured so as to be capable of displaying a list of received E-mailsor a mail-creating screen in a case in which an application foroperating a mail function is activated. The display 21 is configured soas to be capable of displaying a calendar screen or a schedule screen ofeach month in a case in which an application for operating a calendarfunction is activated. The display 21 is configured so as to be capableof displaying an icon showing a plurality of tool functions in a case inwhich an application for operating the tool functions is activated. Thedisplay 21 is configured so as to be capable of displaying an image thatis based on a broadcasting signal corresponding to a selected channelamong received broadcasting signals in a case in which an applicationfor operating a TV function is activated. The display 21 is configuredso as to be capable of displaying an input screen to which characterscan be input in a case in which an application for operating a memo padfunction is activated. The display 21 is configured so as to be capableof displaying information on a plurality of addresses that are stored ina memory (not shown) in a case in which an application for operating anaddress book function is activated. It is possible to terminate theseapplications by depressing the on-hook key (call-end key).

In a case in which the aforementioned applications are terminated, thedisplay 21 displays the communication/call standby screen as the topscreen. In addition, a control part 74 to be described later isoperating an application capable of using a telephone function. Inaddition, by depressing the input operation keys 14, to which a functionfor inputting numbers is assigned, the operation unit 11 accepts inputof a telephone number to be called.

As shown in FIG. 2, a sub display 23 for displaying various informationis disposed in a position, which is exposed outside even in the closedstate, on a second rear surface 20B (a surface opposite to the secondfront surface portion 20A) in the display part side body 3.

An image that is based on the applications for operating theaforementioned various functions is displayed on the sub display 23 asin the case of the display 21. More specifically, an image that is basedon an application is displayed on the display 21 in the opened state,and an image that is based on an application is displayed on the subdisplay 23 in the closed state.

Since the screen of the sub display 23 is smaller than the screen of thedisplay 21, a part of the image displayed on the display 21 or ananalogous (reduced) image is displayed on the sub display 23. Moreover,the sub display 23 is configured so as not to display an image that isbased on an application for operating a function, among the variousfunctions, which is not activated when the cellular telephone terminal 1is in the closed state.

Here, the display 21 and the sub display 23 are respectively configuredto have a liquid crystal panel; a drive circuit for driving the liquidcrystal panel; and a light source unit such as a back light forirradiating light from the back side of the liquid crystal panel.

The rotary dial portion 41 is disposed so as to be rotatable around therotational axis Z. More specifically, the rotary dial portion 41 isattached so as to be rotatable around the rotational axis Z that issubstantially coaxial with the hinge mechanism 4A, in a width directionX in the connecting portion 4 that is a part of the body. As shown inFIG. 1, the rotary dial portion 41 is disposed such that a rotationoperation thereof is possible while viewing the operation unit 11 andthe display 21 when the cellular telephone terminal 1 is in the openedstate. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotary dial portion 41 isdisposed such that a rotation operation thereof is possible whileviewing the sub display 23 when the cellular telephone terminal 1 is inthe closed state.

The rotary dial portion 41 is provided with an abutting portion 41A andthe function indicating portion 41B.

The abutting portion 41A is a side face of the rotary dial portion 41,and is formed on a portion that is positioned to the edge side in thewidth direction X in a state in which the rotary dial portion 41 isattached. The abutting portion 41A is configured such that concavitiesand convexities are formed on the surface thereof, whereby the rotationoperation of the rotary dial portion 41 is facilitated.

The function indicating portion 41B is a side face of the rotary dialportion 41, and is formed on a portion that is positioned in the centerin the width direction X in a state in which the rotary dial portion 41is attached. The icons I (indicator), which are symbols or picturesrepresenting the functions, are depicted on the surface of the functionindicating portion 41B. As shown in FIG. 5, an icon I representing afunction is depicted in a position at every predetermined angle (e.g.,45 degrees) in the rotation direction of the function indicating portion41B.

More specifically, a balloon icon Ia representing neutral as a standardposition is depicted on the function indicating portion 41B. Inaddition, a camera icon Ib, which represents the camera function, andwhich is formed at a position of 45 degrees (angle in the rotarydirection a in a case in which neutral is set as the standard, and thesame applies to angles in the following), is depicted on the functionindicating portion 41B. Furthermore, a letter icon Ic, which representsthe mail function, and which is formed at a position of 90 degrees, isdepicted on the function indicating portion 41B. Moreover, a calendaricon Id, which represents the calendar function, and which is formed ata position of 135 degrees, is depicted on the function indicatingportion 41B. Additionally, a tool icon Ie, which represents the toolfunction, and which is formed at a position of 180 degrees, is depictedon the function indicating portion 41B. Moreover, a television icon If,which represents the TV function, and which is formed at a position of225 degrees, is depicted on the function indicating portion 41B. Inaddition, a pen icon Ig, which represents the memo pad function, andwhich is formed at a position of 270 degrees, is depicted on thefunction indicating portion 41B. Furthermore, a notebook icon Ih, whichrepresents the address book function, and which is formed at a positionof 315 degrees, is depicted on the function indicating portion 41B.

The function indicating portion 41B is rotated with rotation of theabutting portion 41A to which a rotation operation is applied. The iconI, which is depicted on the side of the operation unit 11 and thedisplay 21 of the cellular telephone terminal 1 in the opened state, ischanged with rotation of the abutting portion 41A. Furthermore, the iconI, which is positioned in the selection position S beside the mark 42 inthe width direction X, is changed with the rotation of the rotary dialportion 41, in which the mark 42 is on the outer surface of theconnecting portion 4 and is formed at a position facing the side of theoperation unit 11 and the display 21 when the cellular telephoneterminal 1 is in the opened state. The icon I that is positioned on theselection position S is determined by the rotation amount of the rotarydial portion 41. In the present embodiment, the rotation position refersto a rotation amount relative to the standard position.

Here, in the present embodiment, the standard position refers to a statein which the balloon icon Ia on the function indicating portion 41B ispositioned in the selection position S.

To the connecting portion 4 side in the rotary dial portion 41, a rotaryshaft member 45 is formed, which is inserted into an insertion portion(not shown) formed in the connecting portion 4. As shown in FIG. 6,protruding positional points 43 a to 43 h are formed along acircumferential direction (rotation direction) on a rear face 41C thatis a surface of the rotary dial portion 41 to the side of the connectingportion 4. The positional points 43 a to 43 h are formed atpredetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The positionalpoints 43 a to 43 h are formed in the intervals between the icons Irepresenting the respective functions in the circumferential direction.

The counter portion 44 is disposed to the connecting portion 4, suchthat a tongue 44 a of the counter portion 44 is positioned in a movementlocus of the positional points 43 a to 43 h in a state in which therotary dial portion 41 is rotated.

The counter portion 44 counts the number of the positional points 43 ato 43 h which have passed the tongue 44 a by the movement in therotation direction. More specifically, the count number is added in acase in which the tongue 44 a is tilted toward the rotation direction a,and the count number is subtracted in a case in which the tongue 44 a istilted toward the rotation direction b. A rotation detecting part 72 tobe described later (refer to FIG. 9) detects the rotation amount in therotary dial portion 41 in accordance with the count number relative tothe standard position, a result of which makes it possible to identifythe rotation position.

The rotary dial portion 41 is attached to the operation unit side body 2such that the rotational axis Z is coaxial with the opening-and-closingaxis of the hinge mechanism 4A. The rotary dial portion 41 is attachedat a position that is adjacent to the exposed portion 120 in theoperation unit side body 2. In other words, the rotary dial portion 41is disposed to be adjacent to the mark 42 that is disposed to theexposed portion 120.

Furthermore, the rotary dial portion 41 is configured with a metalmember having electrical conductivity or a resin member that has beentreated so as to have electrical conductivity.

The touch sensor 200, which detects contact to the rotary dial portion41, is disposed inside the rotary dial portion 41. The touch sensor 200(touch sensor detecting part 71) detects contact to the rotary dialportion 41 by way of a change in electrostatic capacitance arising fromthe finger of the user's contact on the rotary dial portion 41.

Detection of contact to the rotary dial portion 41 by the touch sensor200 (touch sensor detecting part 71) serves as a trigger for therotation detecting part 72 and the control part 74.

More specifically, in a case in which the touch sensor 200 detectscontact to the rotary dial portion 41, the rotation detecting part 72 tobe described later (refer to FIG. 9) enters a state in which therotation amount in the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected. Therotation detecting part 72 detects a rotation amount of the rotary dialportion 41 in a state in which contact has been detected by the touchsensor 200. Based upon the rotation amount detected by the rotary dialportion 41, the control part 74 to be described later causes one of aplurality of applications to enter a state in which activation thereofis possible.

In this case, a menu image M is displayed on the display 21 to notifythat the rotation detecting part 72 has entered a state in which therotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected, and thatthe content of the selected application is in a state in whichactivation thereof is now possible. As described later, it is configuredto make it possible to display the menu image M including an image(characters), which shows the contents of the application that can beactivated (refer to FIG. 12).

Moreover, in a case in which the contact to the rotary dial portion 41ceases being detected by the touch sensor 200 (touch sensor detectingpart 71), the control part 74 activates one application that can beactivated. More specifically, after a predetermined time has elapsedsince the contact to the rotary dial portion 41 ceased being detected bythe touch sensor 200 (touch sensor detecting part 71), the control part74 activates the one application that can be activated at the time whenthe contact ceased being detected.

Here, operations and functions of the rotary dial portion 41 aredescribed. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary dial portion 41 is attached tothe connecting portion 4 in the bodies such that the rotary dial portion41 is rotated by a force in the rotation directions (the rotationdirection a and the rotation direction b in FIG. 4) applied by theuser's finger to the abutting portion 41A. As described above, the iconsI (icons Ia to Ih) are allocated on the rotary dial portion 41 atpredetermined intervals in the rotation direction. As shown in FIG. 5,the icons I are represented by symbols and pictures that are easy forthe user to understand when selecting an application.

The user enters a preparatory state for rotating the rotate rotary dialportion 41 by putting a finger on the abutting portion 41A in the rotarydial portion 41. In this case, since a change occurs in theelectrostatic capacitance in the rotary dial portion 41, the touchsensor 200 detects the contact to the rotary dial portion 41. As aresult, the rotation detecting part 72 to be described later enters astate in which the rotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41 can bedetected.

The user then moves an icon I corresponding to a desired function(application) to the selection position S by using the icons I as clues.In this way, the control part 74 causes an application, which operates afunction corresponding to the icon I positioned in the selectionposition S, to enter a state in which activation thereof is possible.

In a state in which the icon I, which corresponds to the application foroperating the desired function, is positioned in the selection positionS, the user disengages the finger that has been placed on the abuttingportion 41A. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the user'sfinger disengaged from the abutting portion 41A, and the contact ceasesbeing detected by the touch sensor 200, the control part 74 activatesone application that is in a state in which activation thereof ispossible, based upon the rotation position that is identified at thetime when the contact ceased being detected by the touch sensor 200. Inthis way, the rotary dial portion 41 makes it possible to select menusfor achieving various functions by the operation of the physical rotarydial.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotary dial portion 41 isrotated 45 degrees in the rotation direction a (315 degrees in therotation direction b) ±22.5 degrees relative to the non-operation time(neutral (N)) by the user's rotation operation, thereby causing theapplication for operating the camera function of the imaging portion 17to enter a state in which activation thereof is possible. After apredetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3 seconds) has elapsed since the user'sfinger is disengaged from the rotary dial portion 41, the applicationfor operating the camera function of the imaging portion 17 isactivated.

Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated 90 degrees in therotation direction a (270 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees by the user's rotation operation, thereby causing theapplication for operating the mail function to enter a state in whichactivation thereof is possible. After a predetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3seconds) has elapsed since the user's finger is disengaged from therotary dial portion 41, the application for operating the mail functionis activated.

Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated 135 degrees in therotation direction a (225 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees by the user's rotation operation, thereby causing theapplication for operating the calendar function to enter a state inwhich activation thereof is possible. After a predetermined time (e.g.,2 to 3 seconds) has elapsed since the user's finger is disengaged fromthe rotary dial portion 41, the application for operating the calendarfunction is activated.

Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated 180 degrees in therotation direction a (180 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees by the user's rotation operation, thereby causing theapplication for operating the tool menu (menu for performing varioussettings regarding a sound output and the like in the cellular telephoneterminal 1) to enter a state in which activation thereof is possible.After a predetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3 seconds) has elapsed since theuser's finger disengaged from the rotary dial portion 41, theapplication for operating the tool menu (menu for performing varioussettings regarding the sound output and the like in the cellulartelephone terminal 1) is activated.

Moreover, by rotating the rotary dial portion 41 225 degrees in therotation direction a (135 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees according to the user's rotation operation, the application foroperating the television function enters a state in which activationthereof is possible. After a predetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3 seconds)has elapsed since the user's finger is disengaged from the rotary dialportion 41, the application for operating the television function isactivated.

Moreover, by rotating the rotary dial portion 41 270 degrees in therotation direction a (90 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees according to the user's rotation operation, the application foroperating the memo pad function enters a state in which activationthereof is possible. After a predetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3 seconds)has elapsed since the user's finger is disengaged from the rotary dialportion 41, the application for operating the memo pad function isactivated.

Moreover, by rotating the rotary dial portion 41 315 degrees in therotation direction a (45 degrees in the rotation direction b) ±22.5degrees according to the user's rotation operation, the application foroperating the address book function enters a state in which activationthereof is possible. After a predetermined time (e.g., 2 to 3 seconds)has elapsed since the user's finger is disengaged from the rotary dialportion 41, the application for operating the address book function isactivated.

Here, the present embodiment may be configured such that theapplications which can be activated are more limited when the cellulartelephone terminal 1 is in the closed state than in the opened state.More specifically, the cellular telephone terminal 1 is configured suchthat only one or a plurality of limited applications can be activated,among the applications that can be activated, in the opened state. Here,for example, the rotary dial portion 41 may be configured such that therotation is restricted to the rotation positions corresponding to theapplications that can be activated in the closed state.

Two methods can be considered as methods for restricting applicationsthat are activated in the closed state in this way.

Firstly, there is a case of a structural restriction.

The rotary dial portion 41 may be configured such that the rotatablerange thereof is restricted in the closed state, and the icons Icorresponding to the application programs to be restricted may beallocated to the rotation positions to be restricted, in allocating theicons (indicator) to the rotary dial portion 41. When transitioning fromthe opened state to the closed state, the rotation of the rotary dialportion 41 is restricted by movement and the like of a cam (not shown)in the hinge, a result of which the user cannot perform rotation to theicon of the application program to be restricted. This makes it possibleto partly restrict the application programs in the closed state.

Secondly, there is also a case of restriction by software.

A restriction table, which serves to recognize whether activation ispossible or restricted in the closed state for each application program,is stored in a memory unit 100 in advance. When rotation of the rotarydial portion 41 is detected in the closed state, the control part 74identifies whether the application program corresponding to theidentified rotation position can be activated, by referring to therestriction table. In a case in which it is to be restricted, theapplication program is not activated, and the state before the rotationoccurred is maintained, and in a case in which activation is possible,the corresponding application program is activated. This makes itpossible to partly restrict the application programs in the closedstate. As the application programs to be restricted, the tool menu, theInternet connection and the like are preferable, which are not used ornot suitable in the closed state.

A mark 42 is formed on a portion that is a part of the operation unitside body 2 and constitutes the connecting portion 4. More specifically,the mark 42 is formed on the exposed portion 120 in the connectingportion 4. The mark 42 is exposed so as to be visible from the outsideboth in the opened state and in the closed state of the cellulartelephone terminal 1. In other words, the mark 42, which indicates oneof the plurality of indicators (icons I), is disposed at a position thatis exposed both in the opened state and in the closed state.

Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 is similarly exposed so as to bevisible from the outside both in the opened state and in the closedstate. This makes it possible for the user to visually confirm the mark42 and the icon I that is positioned in the selection position S besidethe mark 42, from the outside in the opened state and the closed state.Moreover, the user can change the functions while viewing the mark 42and the icon I, which is positioned in the selection position S besidethe mark 42, from the outside in the opened state and the closed state.

Next, a functional configuration in the cellular telephone terminal 1 isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the cellulartelephone terminal 1. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram in aprocessing unit 70.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cellular telephone terminal 1 is provided with:the display 21 that displays predetermined information; the sub display23 that displays predetermined information; the rotary dial portion 41that is rotated by the user's operation; the touch sensor 200; acommunication unit 60 that performs communications with externalterminals; the processing unit 70 that performs predeterminedprocessing; the rechargeable battery 80 having a predetermined capacity;a power supply circuit unit 90, which converts a power supply voltagesupplied from the rechargeable battery 80 into a predetermined voltage,and which feeds the converted voltage to the communication unit 60, theprocessing unit 70 and the like; and the memory unit 100.

The communication unit 60 is provided with: a main antenna 61 thatperforms communication with an external device at a predeterminedfrequency band to be used; and a communication processing unit 62 thatperforms signal processing such as modulation processing or demodulationprocessing.

The main antenna 61 performs communication with the external device(base station) at a predetermined frequency band to be used (e.g., 800MHz). It should be noted that, although a predetermined frequency bandto be used is 800 MHz in the present embodiment, another frequency bandmay be used. Moreover, in addition to the predetermined frequency bandto be used, the main antenna 61 may be configured with a so-called dualband adaptive type that is adaptive to a second frequency band to beused (e.g., 2 GHz), and furthermore, it may be configured with amultiple band adaptive type that is adaptive to a third frequency bandto be used.

The communication processing unit 62 applies demodulation processing tosignals received by the main antenna 61, and feeds the processed signalsto the processing unit 70, while the communication processing unit 62applies modulation processing to signals supplied from the processingunit 70, and transmits the signals to the external device (base station)through the main antenna 61.

The power supply circuit unit 90 transforms a power supply voltage,which is supplied from the rechargeable battery 80, to a predeterminedvoltage value, and supplies the transformed voltage to the communicationunit 60, the processing unit 70 and the like.

The memory unit 100 stores a number of programs that are executed by theprocessing unit 70, parameters, various tables and the like. Morespecifically, the memory unit 100 stores: a number of applicationprograms, of which activation, termination, interruption and the likeare performed by the control part 74; parameters that are used by theplurality of applications; an OS program for operating the plurality ofapplication programs; and a table 100 that indicates the correspondingrelationship between the rotation amount (count number) detected by therotation detecting part 72 and the plurality of applications (refer toFIG. 5).

It should be noted that the plurality of application programs includeapplication programs for each application that the cellular telephoneterminal 1 has, such as a standard application, a music player, a cameraand mail.

The processing unit 70 performs activation processing for variousfunctions in accordance with the rotation amount that is supplied fromthe rotary dial portion 41.

Here, a configuration and operations of the processing unit 70 aredescribed. As shown in FIG. 9, the processing unit 70 is provided with:the touch sensor detecting part 71 that detects contact by an electricconductor (e.g., a finger of the user) to the rotary dial portion 41;the rotation detecting part 72 that detects the rotation amount of therotary dial portion 41; an opened/closed detecting part 73 that detectsthe opened state and the closed state of the cellular telephone terminal1; and the control part 74 that controls such that a predeterminedapplication, which operates a function corresponding to the rotationamount detected by the rotation detecting part 72, is activated, and adisplay screen corresponding to the activated predetermined applicationis displayed on the display 21 or the sub display 23.

The touch sensor detecting part 71 detects whether a predeterminedelectric conductor is touching the rotary dial portion 41, by way of achange in electrostatic capacitance detected by the touch sensor 200disposed inside the rotary dial portion 41. In a case in which, based onthe change in electrostatic capacitance detected by the touch sensor200, it is detected that the predetermined electric conductor istouching the rotary dial portion 41, the touch sensor detecting part 71outputs a detection signal to the rotation detecting part 72 and thecontrol part 74.

By receiving the detection signal from the touch sensor detecting part71, the rotation detecting part 72 enters a state in which the rotationamount in the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected.

As described above, the rotation detecting part 72 detects the rotationamount in the rotary dial portion 41 by the number of the positionalpoints 43 a to 43 h counted by the counter portion 44. For example, in acase in which the rotation direction a is referred to as plus (+), andthe count number of the positional points in the counter portion 44 is“+1,” the rotation detecting part 72 detects that the rotation amount isfrom 22.5 degrees to 67.5 degrees. Moreover, in a case in which thecount number of the positional points in the counter portion 44 does notchange for a certain duration (e.g., 1 to 2 seconds), the rotationdetecting part 72 notifies the control part 74 of the rotation amount.The rotation position is identified by this.

Here, the rotation detecting part 72 is maintained in a state in whichthe rotation amount in the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected, untilthe time when the detection signal ceased being received from the touchsensor detecting part 71.

The opened/closed detecting part 73 detects whether the cellulartelephone terminal 1 is in the opened state or in the closed state,based on the signal that is output from the aforementioned opened/closedsensor 300. In a case in which it is detected that the cellulartelephone terminal 1 is in the closed state, the opened/closed detectingpart 73 outputs a detection signal to the control part 74.

By receiving the detection signal from the touch sensor detecting part71, the control part 74 causes one application among the plurality ofapplications, which corresponds to the rotation amount detected by therotation detecting part 72, to enter a state in which activation thereofis possible.

Moreover, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the userdisengages a finger from the rotary dial portion 41, the control part 74activates the application in a state in which activation thereof ispossible. More specifically, after a predetermined time has elapsedsince the detection signal ceased being received from the touch sensordetecting part 71, the control part 74 activates an application in astate in which activation thereof is possible, in accordance with therotation amount detected by the rotation detecting part 72 at the timewhen the detection signal ceased being received. When the rotationamount is detected by the rotation detecting part 72, the control part74 activates a predetermined application corresponding to an indicator(icon I) indicated by the mark 42 among the plurality of indicators(icons I).

Moreover, in a case in which the touch sensor detecting part 71 detects,by change in electrostatic capacitance, that an electric conductor hastouched the rotary dial portion 4, the control part 74 displays, on thedisplay 21, the menu image (screen) M including an image representing anapplication in a state in which activation thereof is possible. Morespecifically, by receiving the detection signal from the touch sensordetecting part 71, the control part 74 displays, on the display 21, themenu image M including the image representing the application in a statein which activation thereof is possible, based on the rotation amountdetected by the rotation detecting part 72 (refer to FIG. 11).

Here, the menu image M also has a function for indicating that therotation detecting part 72 has entered a state in which the rotationamount in the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected. In other words,the menu image M is displayed on the display 21, thereby allowing theuser to know that it is presently in a state in which an application isselectable by the rotary dial portion 41.

The control part 74 refers to the table 110 for the applicationcorrespondence relationship in the memory unit 100 every time rotationof the rotary dial portion 41 occurs, and identifies an applicationcorresponding to the rotation amount (count number).

When the power supply of the cellular telephone terminal 1 is turned on,the control part 74 firstly stars up the OS program, and activates thestandard application program under the control of the OS, thereby makingit possible to display a standby screen on the display 21. Subsequently,every time an application to be activated arises, a new applicationprogram is activated by terminating or interrupting the standardapplication program under the control of the OS. By this processing, thecontrol part 74 displays a screen based on the newly activatedapplication in place of the standby screen on the display 21.

It should be noted that, when a call-end key (on-hook key) included inthe input operation keys 14 is operated, the standard applicationprogram is activated again after terminating the application that hadbeen running under the control of the OS. The control part 74 causes thedisplay to transition from the screen of the terminated application tothe standby screen.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotary dial portion 41 isrotationally moved such that the icon representing the camera functionis positioned beside the mark 42 (the selection position S), andthereafter the finger is disengaged from the rotary dial portion 41.After a predetermined time has elapsed since the finger disengaged fromthe rotary dial portion 41, the control part 74, for example, refers tothe table 110, activates the application for operating the camerafunction assigned to the relevant rotation amount (from 22.5 degrees to67.5 degrees), and activates the imaging portion 17.

Moreover, the control part 74 displays an image based on the applicationfor operating the camera function on the display 21. More specifically,an image of the subject that can be taken via the imaging portion 17 isdisplayed on the display 21.

In a case in which the count number of the positional points in thecounter portion 44 has changed during a certain duration (e.g., 1 to 2seconds) after the predetermined rotation amount is detected by therotation detecting part 72, the control part 74 maintains the activatedstate of the application that had been activated before the rotary dialportion 41 is rotated.

Moreover, in a case in which the number of the positional points 43 a to43 h counted by the rotation detecting part 72 is “0 (zero)” as aresult, the control part 74 maintains the activated state of theapplication that has been operated before the rotary dial portion 41 isrotated.

Here, in a case in which the cellular telephone terminal 1 is in theclosed state, the control part 74 restricts the applications that can beactivated, as compared to the case in the opened state. Morespecifically, the control part 74 makes it possible to activate only oneor a plurality of limited applications among the applications that canbe activated in the opened state. In other words, in a case in which adetection signal is received from the opened/closed detecting part 73,the control part 74 can activate only one or a plurality of limitedapplications among the applications that can be activated in the openedstate. For example, the functions and the like that can not be operatedby the user in the closed state are restricted.

Moreover, in a case in which the cellular telephone terminal 1 is in theopened state, the control part 74 outputs an image based on theactivated application on the display 21, and in a case in which thecellular telephone terminal 1 is in the closed, state, the control part74 displays an image based on the activated application on the subdisplay 23. The control part 74 similarly displays the aforementionedmenu image M on the display 21 or the sub display 23 in accordance withthe opened state or the closed state. Here, the menu image M1 that isdisplayed on the sub display 23 is configured to include only an image(including characters) representing an application (function) that canbe activated in the closed state.

Next, operations of the cellular telephone terminal 1 in the presentembodiment are described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the cellular telephoneterminal 1. FIG. 11 is a view illustrating the menu image M in theopened state. FIG. 12 is a view illustrating the menu image M1 in theclosed state.

The user puts a finger on the abutting portion 41A in the rotary dialportion 41 in order to rotate the rotate rotary dial portion 41 (ST1).The touch sensor 200 detects a change in electrostatic capacitance inthe rotary dial portion 41. As a result, the touch sensor detecting part71 detects that the finger as an electric conductor has touched therotary dial portion 41. The touch sensor detecting part 71 then outputsa detection signal to the rotation detecting part 72 and the controlpart 74. By receiving the detection signal, the rotation detecting part72 enters a state in which the rotation amount in the rotary dialportion 41 can be detected.

The opened/closed detecting part 73 detects whether the cellulartelephone terminal 1 is in the opened state or the closed state. Asshown in FIG. 11, in a case in which the cellular telephone terminal 1is in the opened state (ST2), the control part 74 displays the menuimage M including images representing applications that can be activatedin the opened state on the display 21 (ST3). By displaying the menuimage M on the display 21, the cellular telephone terminal 1 notifiesthe user that the functions (applications) have become selectable by therotary dial portion 41, and assists the user's selection operations asan indication for selecting the functions.

The user rotationally moves the rotary dial portion 41 such that an iconI representing a predetermined function is positioned in the selectionposition S, by using the mark 42, which is exposed in the opened state,as an indicator of the selection position S (ST4).

The rotation detecting part 72, which is in a state in which therotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected, detectsthe rotation amount in the rotary dial portion 41 that has been rotatedby the user (ST5). The display contents of the menu image M that isdisplayed on the display 21 are correspondingly changed to the rotationamount in the rotary dial portion 41.

When the user disengages the finger from the rotary dial portion 41after selecting a desired application by viewing the menu image Mdisplayed on the display 21, the touch sensor 200 further detects achange in the electrostatic capacitance (ST6). After a predeterminedtime has elapsed since the finger disengaged from the rotary dialportion 41 (i.e. since the electrostatic capacitance changed) (ST7), thecontrol part 74 activates an application corresponding to the icon Ipositioned in the selection position S (ST8). More specifically, thecontrol part 74 activates the application for operating the functionthat has been correspondingly assigned to the rotation positionidentified by the rotation amount detected by the rotation detectingpart 72.

In a case in which the user's finger is placed on the rotary dialportion 41 again before the predetermined time has elapsed since thefinger disengaged from the rotary dial portion 41 (ST8), the controlpart 74 does not activate an application (ST1).

The control part 74 displays an image based on the application to beactivated on the display 21 (ST9). In a case in which the finger isdisengaged from the rotary dial portion 41 in a state shown in FIG. 11,the control part 74 activates the application for operating the camerafunction. The control part 74 then displays an image based on theactivated application on the display 21. For example, it is possible todisplay, as the image based on the application for operating the camerafunction, the image of the subject that can be taken via the imagingportion 17, on the display 21.

Subsequently, the user depresses a function end key (e.g., the call-endkey, the on-hook key), thereby terminating the activated application(ST11).

In a case in which the function end key is depressed, and theapplication that had been activated is terminated, for example, thedisplay regarding the camera function is terminated, and thecommunication/call standby screen as the top screen is displayed on thedisplay 21 (ST11).

As shown in FIG. 12, in a case in which the cellular telephone terminal1 is not in the opened state (i.e. is in the closed state) (ST2), thecontrol part 74 displays the menu image M including images representingapplications that can be activated in the closed state on the subdisplay 23 (ST12), By displaying the menu image M on the sub display 23,the cellular telephone terminal 1 notifies the user that the functions(applications) have become selectable by the rotary dial portion 41, andassists the user's selection operations as an indication for selectingthe functions. Moreover, the cellular telephone terminal 1 can performnotification of the applications (functions) that are selectable in theclosed state.

The user rotationally moves the rotary dial portion 41 such that an iconI representing a predetermined function is positioned in the selectionposition S, by using the mark 42, which is exposed in the closed state,as an indicator of the selection position S (ST13).

The rotation detecting part 72, which is in a state in which therotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41 can be detected, detectsthe rotation amount in the rotary dial portion 41 that has been rotatedby the user (ST14). The display contents of the menu image M that isdisplayed on the sub display 23 are correspondingly changed to therotation amount in the rotary dial portion 41.

When the user disengages the finger from the rotary dial portion 41after having selected a desired application by viewing the menu image Mdisplayed on the sub display 23, the touch sensor 200 further detects achange in the electrostatic capacitance (ST15). After a predeterminedtime has elapsed since the finger disengaged from the rotary dialportion 41 (i.e. since the electrostatic capacitance changed) (ST16),the control part 74 activates an application corresponding to the icon Ipositioned at the selection position S (ST17). More specifically, thecontrol part 74 activates the application for operating the functionthat has been correspondingly assigned to the rotation positionidentified by the rotation amount detected by the rotation detectingpart 72.

In a case in which the user's finger is placed on the rotary dialportion 41 again before the predetermined time has elapsed since thefinger disengaged from the rotary dial portion 41 (ST16), the controlpart 74 does not activate an application (ST1).

The control part 74 displays an image based on the application to beactivated on the sub display 23 (ST18). In a case in which the finger isdisengaged from the rotary dial portion 41 in a state shown in FIG. 12,the control part 74 activates the application for operating the camerafunction. The control part 74 then displays an image based on theactivated application on the sub display 23. For example, it is possibleto display, as the image based on the application for operating thecamera function, the image of the subject that can be taken via theimaging portion 17, on the sub display 23.

Subsequently, the user depresses a function end key that is assigned toa side key and the like exposed in the closed state, thereby terminatingthe activated application (ST19).

In a case in which the function end key is depressed, and theapplication that has been activated is terminated, for example, thedisplay regarding the camera function is terminated, and thecommunication/call standby screen as the top screen is displayed on thesub display 23 (ST20).

According to the present embodiment, the rotary dial portion 41 isdirectly operated, thereby making it possible to directly activate thevarious functions assigned to the rotary dial portion 41 under certainconditions. Accordingly, it is not necessary to go through the main menuas in conventional cases, and it is possible to easily activate adesired application.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, since the mark 42 isformed at a position that is exposed externally both in the opened stateand in the closed state, it is possible to rotate the rotary dialportion 41 by using the mark 42 as an indicator both in the opened stateand in the closed state. More specifically, it is possible to rotate therotary dial portion 41 by using the mark 42 as an indicator of theselection position both in the opened state and in the closed state.This makes it possible to provide a cellular telephone terminal 1 ofwhich usability has been improved.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to selectapplications that are limited in the closed state based on the mark 42and the menu image M1, which is displayed on the sub display 23. Thismakes it possible for the user to select a desired application whilerecognizing the applications that can be activated in the closed state.Moreover, this makes it possible to preferably select the applicationsin the closed state, which can be activated in the closed state.

Although preferable embodiments are described above, the presentinvention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, and may beimplemented in various embodiments. For example, although a cellularphone device 1 is described in the present embodiment, it is not limitedthereto, and may be a PHS (trade mark: Personal Handy Phone System), aPDA (Persona Digital Assistant), a navigation system and the like.

It should be noted that, although a cellular telephone terminal 1 thatis foldable via the connecting portion 4 is described in the presentembodiment, instead of such a flip type, it may be a slider type inwhich one of the bodies Slides to one direction in a state in which theoperation unit side body 2 and the display part side body 3 are mutuallysuperimposed; a rotating (turning) type in which one of the bodies isrotated around an axis line along the direction of superimposing theoperation unit side body 2 and the display part side body 3; and a type(straight type) in which the operation unit side body 2 and the displaypart side body 3 are disposed in one body without having the connectingportion. Moreover, the cellular telephone terminal 1 may be a so-calledbiaxial hinge type that can be opened and closed as well as rotated.

In addition, although the rotary dial portion 41 is configured so as tobe rotatable around the rotational axis Z that is substantially coaxialwith the opening-and-closing axis in the hinge mechanism 4A in thepresent embodiment, it is not limited thereto, and it may be configuredso as to be rotatable according to the user's operation. For example,the rotary dial portion 41 may be configured to be rotatable around apredetermined rotational axis that is orthogonal to the rotational axisZ.

Moreover, although the functions that are selectable by the rotary dialportion 41 are as described above in the present embodiment, it is notlimited thereto, and a configuration may be employed in which a menuthat is frequently used by the user can be registered, or aconfiguration may be employed in which a desired Web address isregistered in advance, and when the Web address is selected by therotary dial portion 41, a Web browser is activated to enable browsing ofa Web page of the Web address. Furthermore, the number of the functionsincluded in the menu is not limited either to the aforementioned number(seven).

In addition, although the rotation detecting part 72 detects therotation amount based on the number of the positional points counted bythe counter portion 44 in the present embodiment, it is not limitedthereto, and a predetermined sensor may detect an amount of change ofthe rotation angle of the rotary dial portion 41 as the rotation amount.Additionally, the rotation detecting part 72 may be configured suchthat, for example, the rotation amount is detected by a change inresistivity and the like to identify a rotation position.

Moreover, although the mark 42 is formed in the operation unit side body2 in the present embodiment, it is not limited thereto, and may beformed in the display part side body 3 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a first mark 42A and asecond mark 42B as indicators are each formed on a portion, which is apart of the display part side body 3, and constitutes the connectingportion 4. Particularly, as shown in FIG. 13, the first mark 42A as thefirst mark is formed in a first exposed portion 120A, which is a portionconstituting the connecting portion 4 in the display part side body 3,and is exposed externally in the opened state. Moreover, as shown inFIG. 14, the second mark 42B as the second mark is formed in a secondexposed portion 120B, which is a portion constituting the connectingportion 4 in the display part side body 3, and is exposed externally inthe closed state. In other words, it is configured such that the firstmark 42A is disposed in a predetermined position in the opened state,and the second mark 42B is disposed in a predetermined position in theclosed state.

In this case, the rotary dial portion 41 is attached to a positionfacing the first exposed portion 120A and the second exposed portion120B, by interposing a portion constituting the connecting portion 4 inthe operation unit side body 2. In other words, the rotary dial portion41 is attached to a position facing the first mark 42A and the secondmark 42B, by interposing a portion constituting the connecting portion 4in the operation unit side body 2.

Here, in a case in which all the applications are not activated in theclosed state, as shown in FIG. 15, the position, on which the secondmark 42B is formed, may be adjusted such that the icon I positionedbeside the first mark 42A in the opened state is not aligned (or isdislocated) with the second mark 42B in the closed state.

Modified Example of First Embodiment

Next, a modified example of the aforementioned first embodiment isdescribed. As described above, the processing unit 70 is provided withthe opened/closed detecting part 73 that detects whether or not thebodies are in the closed state. Moreover, when the rotation detectingpart 72 has detected the rotation of the rotary dial portion 41, it ispreferable for the control part 74 to control such that, in a case inwhich the opened/closed detecting part 73 detects that the bodies arenot in the closed state, a predetermined application in accordance withthe rotation state is activated, and a display screen corresponding tothe activated predetermined application is displayed on the display 21,and in a case in which the opened/closed detecting part 73 detects thatthe bodies are in the closed state, a new application is not activated.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, no application isactivated when the bodies are in the closed state, even if the rotarydial portion 41 is operated, and various applications can be activatedin accordance with the rotation amount of the rotary dial portion 41when the bodies are in the opened state.

Moreover, when the rotation detecting part 72 has detected the rotationof the rotary dial portion 41, it is preferable for the control part 74to control such that, in a case in which the opened/closed detectingpart 73 detects that the bodies are in the closed state, a predeterminedapplication in accordance with the rotation state is identified, and ina case in which the opened/closed detecting part 73 detects that thebodies have transitioned thereafter to a state that is not the closedstate, the identified predetermined application is activated, and adisplay screen corresponding to the activated predetermined applicationis displayed on the display 21.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, since theapplication selected by the user when in the closed state is identifiedin the closed state, and the identified application is activated whenthe bodies transition thereafter to the opened state, it is possible toreduce the activation time of a desired application as compared toanother operation method (an application is selected after changing thebodies into the opened state, and then the application is activated).

Moreover, when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated, it is preferablefor the rotation detecting part 72 to notify the control part 74 of therotation state on the condition that the rotation state at this time hascontinued for a certain duration (e.g., 1 or 2 seconds). For example,when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated 45 degrees in the direction ashown in FIG. 5, the rotation detecting part 72 notifies the controlpart 74 of the rotation amount (45 degrees) on the condition that thisrotation state at 45 degrees has been maintained for 1 to 2 seconds. Thecontrol part 74 activates the camera function of the imaging portion 17in accordance with the rotation amount (45 degrees).

With such a configuration, the present invention can prevent anoperational error of the rotary dial portion 41, thereby making itpossible to prevent activation of an application which is not desired bythe user, and to reduce power requirements.

Moreover, when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated, it is preferablefor the rotation detecting part 72 to notify the control part 74 of therotation state on the condition that this rotation state has continuedfor a certain duration, and when the control part 74 is notified of therotation state of the rotary dial portion 41 by the rotation detectingpart 72, it is preferable for the control part 74 to control such that,in a case in which the opened/closed detecting part 73 detects that thebodies are not in the closed state, a predetermined application inaccordance with the rotation state is activated, and a display screencorresponding to the activated predetermined application is displayed onthe display 21.

With such a configuration, the present invention makes it possible toprevent activation of applications when the bodies are in the closedstate. In other words, it is possible to maintain an application thathas been activated in the opened state.

Moreover, in a state in which a predetermined standby screen isdisplayed on the display 21 in a call-standby state, when the bodiestransition from the opened state to the closed state, the control part74 controls as follows:

1. In a case in which the opened state is entered again withoutperforming a rotation operation of the rotary dial portion 41 in theclosed state, the standby screen is displayed on the display 21; and

2. In a case in which the opened state is resumed after performing arotation operation of the rotary dial portion 41 in the closed state, anapplication in accordance with the rotation state by the rotationoperation is activated, and a display screen corresponding to theapplication is displayed on the display 21.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, in a case in whichthe bodies transition from the closed state to the opened state, it ispossible to change the activation state of an application in the openedstate in accordance with the activation state of the application in theclosed state. Moreover, in the present invention, it is possible toreduce the activation time of a desired application as compared toanother operation method (an application is selected after changing thebodies into the opened state, and then the application is activated).

Moreover, in a case in which the rotation detecting part 72 detectsrotation when the bodies are in the closed state, and an application tobe activated is determined based on the rotation state, the control part74 controls as follows:

1. In a case of a first application that can be activated when thebodies are in the closed state, the first application is activated; and

2. In a case of a second application that can not be activated when thebodies are in the closed state, the second application is not activated.

Moreover, the control part 74 controls such that, in a case in which itis the second application that cannot be activated when the bodies arein the closed state, the second application is not activated, andthereafter, in a case in which the opened/closed detecting part 73detects that the bodies are in the opened state, the second applicationis activated.

In addition, the control part 74 determines an application to beactivated by referring to a table in which the applications to beactivated are respectively assigned based on the state of the bodies andthe rotation amount according to the rotation detecting part 72.

With such a configuration, the present invention makes it possible touse applications to be activated differently depending on the openedstate and the closed state of the bodies. For example, in a case inwhich the bodies are in the opened state, mail messages are browsed, onthe other hand, in a case in which the bodies are in the closed state(it is assumed that the mail function cannot be used in the closedstate), it is possible to play music with a music playing application(music player). In this way, it is possible to switch applicationsdepending on the change between the opened state and the closed state ofthe bodies.

Furthermore, the control part 74 can execute, and switch between, thestandard application, which displays a predetermined standby screen onthe display part in a communication standby state, and the otherapplications. Such a control part 74 controls such that, when therotation detecting part 72 detects rotation in a state in which thestandard application is activated, a predetermined application inaccordance with the detected rotation state is activated in place of thestandard application, and a screen based on the predeterminedapplication is displayed on the display 21 in place of the standbyscreen.

Here, operations of the control part 74, in a case of activating thecamera function of the imaging portion 17 when the bodies are in theopened state, are described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.16.

In Step ST31, the control part 74 determines whether or not the bodies(hereinafter referred to as a folder) are in the opened state, namely astate that is not the closed state, based on a detection value suppliedfrom the opened/closed detecting part 73. In a case in which it isdetermined that the folder is in the opened state (YES), the processingproceeds to Step ST32, and in a case in which it is determined that thefolder is in the closed state (NO), the processing of Step 31 isrepeated. It should be noted that, in a halfway state in which thefolder is neither in the closed state nor the opened state, it isdetermined that the folder is not in the closed state, and theprocessing of Step ST31 is repeated. As described above, in the openedstate, the control part 74 displays the standby screen on the display 21based on the standard application program under the control of the OS.

In Step ST32, the control part 74 determines whether or not the rotationdetecting part 72 has notified of rotation amount, i.e., whether or notrotation has occurred and there is a change in the selected function. Ina case in which it is determined that there is a change (YES), theprocessing proceeds to Step ST33, and in a case in which it isdetermined that there is not a change (NO), the processing of Step ST32is repeated.

In Step ST33, the control part 74 determines whether or not notificationof a certain rotation amount from the rotation detecting part 72 hasbeen continued to be detected for a certain duration. In a case in whichit is determined that the detection has been continued for a certainduration (YES), the processing proceeds to Step ST34, and in a case inwhich it is determined that the detection has not been continued for acertain duration (NO), the processing of Step ST33 is repeated.

In Step ST34, the control part 74 activates a predetermined application(the camera function of the imaging portion 17 in the present example).

Next, operations of the control part 74, in a case of activating acertain application (e.g., the music player) when the bodies are eitherin the opened state or the closed state, are described with reference toa flowchart shown in FIG. 17.

In Step ST41, the control part 74 determines whether or not the folderis in the opened state, based on a detection value supplied from theopened/closed detecting, part 73. In a case in which it is determinedthat the folder is in the opened state (YES), the processing proceeds toStep ST43, and in a case in which it is determined that the folder isnot in the closed state (NO), the processing proceeds to Step ST42.

In Step ST42, the control part 74 determines whether or not the folderis in the closed state, based on a detection value supplied from theopened/closed detecting part 73. In a case in which it is determinedthat the folder is in the closed state (YES), the processing proceeds toStep ST43, and in a case in which it is determined that the folder isnot in the closed state (NO), the processing returns to Step ST41. Thepresent processing indicates that, in a halfway state in which thefolder is neither in the closed state nor the opened state, it isdetermined that the folder is not in the closed state, and theprocessing returns to Step ST41. As described above, in the openedstate, the control part 74 displays the standby screen on the display 21based on the standard application program under the control of the OS.

In Step ST43, the control part 74 determines whether or not the rotationdetecting part 72 has notified of a rotation amount, i.e. whether or notthere is a change in the selected function. In a case in which it isdetermined that there is a change (YES), the processing proceeds to StepST44, and in a case in which it is determined that there is no change(NO), the processing of Step ST43 is repeated.

In Step ST44, the control part 74 determines whether or not notificationof a certain rotation amount from the rotation detecting part 72 hascontinued to be detected for a certain duration. In a case in which itis determined that the detection has not continued for a certainduration (NO), the processing of Step ST44 is repeated.

Moreover, in a case in which the detection has continued for a certainduration (YES), the control part 74 refers to the table 110, andidentifies an application in accordance with the rotation amount. In acase in which a state of the bodies at the time when the application wasidentified in accordance with the rotation amount is the opened state,the processing proceeds to Step ST45. However, in a case in which thestate of the bodies at this time is the closed state, it is furtherdetermined whether the identified application is the first applicationthat can be activated even in the closed state, or the secondapplication that cannot be activated in the closed state. In a case inwhich it is determined that it is the second application, the processingof Step ST44 is repeated, and in a case in which it is determined thatit is the first application, the processing proceeds to Step ST45.

In Step ST45, the control part 74 activates a predetermined application(the music player in the present example).

The control part 74 activates a music processing device corresponding tothe music playing application, thereby starting music playback and thelike. Moreover, an operation screen and the like based on the newlyactivated music playing application is displayed in place of the standbyscreen on the display 21 in the opened state or on the sub display 23 inthe closed state in accordance with the control of the control part 74.It should be noted that, when the call-end key (on-hook key) (inputoperation key 14) included among the input operation keys is operated,the standard application program is activated again after terminating orinterrupting the music playing application under the control of the OS.The control part 74 causes the display to transition from the musicplayer screen to the standby screen.

It should be noted that, in the processing of Step ST41, even in a caseof the opened state in which an application program that has beenactivated is not the standard application program, but is anotherapplication program, the application program that has been activated isterminated, and a new application program is activated. The control part74 controls so as to change from the screen based on the previousapplication program to a screen based on the new application program.

In this way, according to the present invention, the rotary dial portion41 is directly operated, thereby making it possible to directly activatethe various functions assigned to the rotary dial portion 41 undercertain conditions. Accordingly, it is not necessary to go through themain menu as in conventional cases, and it is possible to easilyactivate a desired application.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, an application isnot activated unless a certain rotation amount continues for a certainduration, thereby circumventing the need to activate an applicationevery time the user performs rotation multiple times by habit, andpreventing wasteful electric power consumption from occurring. Moreover,in a case in which slight rotation of the rotary dial portion 41 isdetected and an application is immediately activated, a problem isconsidered in which activation and termination of all the applicationsare repeated on the way such as at 45 degrees and 90 degrees, eventhough the user desires to activate an application that is positioned at180 degrees from the neutral position. However, since the presentexample is configured such that an application is not activated unless acertain rotation amount continues for a certain duration, theapplications on the way are not activated as long as the rotation isperformed quickly to a position at 180 degrees, thereby making itpossible to reduce electric power consumption.

Moreover, in most of the cases in which the bodies are configured so asto be openable and closable, one of the main display (corresponding tothe display 21 in the present example) and the main operation unit(corresponding to the input operation keys 14 in the present example) isin a state of not being exposed externally in the closed state. In otherwords, the operability is limited in the closed state. Moreover, theclosed state is a form for transport when hand held in many cases.

In the embodiments of the present invention, a configuration example isalso shown in which all the applications can be activated by rotationoperation in the opened state, and all the applications cannot beactivated or only a part of the applications can be activated in theclosed state. With such a configuration, the operability is limited inthe closed state, and the applications that cannot be correctlyoperated, even if activated in the closed state, are not activated inthe closed state. Accordingly, in a case in which the rotated rotarydial portion 41 is unintentionally rotated during transport and thelike, the applications, which are not usually operated, are notactivated, thereby further reducing wasteful electric power consumption.

With a configuration in which the dial is rotated in the closed state,and a corresponding application is not activated until the closed statetransitions to the opened state, it is possible to activate anapplication only when entering a state in which operation thereof ispossible. In other words, even in a case in which the dial is rotatedmultiple times in the closed state, an application is activated onlywhen finally transitioning to the opened state, thereby making itpossible to significantly reduce the number of times of activating theapplications, and to lead to the reduction of electric powerconsumption.

It should be noted that, although an example is shown in which anapplication to be activated is identified based on the rotation amountof the rotary dial portion 41 in the present embodiment, it is notlimited thereto. In other words, only a rotation state has to bedetermined, and in addition to detection of a changed amount, forexample, a configuration may be employed in which only a final rotationposition is detected. Moreover, by storing the final rotation positionsbeing respectively associated with the applications in the table 110, itis also possible to configure such that an application corresponding toan identified position is activated by referring to the table 110.

Furthermore, it may be configured such that a time from startingrotation to reaching a final rotation position is measured, therebydetermining whether the rotation is fast or slow, and an application tobe activated is changed in accordance thereto. In this case, by storingthe rotation times being respectively associated with the applicationsto be activated in the table 110, and referring to the table regardingthe time from the start of the rotation to the end of the rotation, forexample, it is also possible to activate different applicationsdepending on the difference of the rotation speed, even in a case inwhich the rotation is performed to the same position.

Second Embodiment

Moreover, a plurality of identifiable abstract symbols I (e.g., circle,triangle, rectangle and the like) may be respectively allocated topredetermined intervals in the rotation direction of the rotary dialportion 41. In this case, each of the symbols allocated to the rotarydial portion 41 is processed (e.g., three-dimensionally processed) so asto be recognizable by a tactile sense of a finger, in order to avoid thenecessity for the user to visually confirm the symbols allocated to therotary dial portion 41.

As shown in FIG. 18, the present invention has a function toschematically display a rotation state of the rotary dial portion 41 onthe display 21 by using display objects, when selecting a predeterminedapplication by operating the rotary dial portion 41 in a case in whichthe cellular telephone terminal 1 is in the opened state. By having sucha function, since it is possible to assist the operation of the rotarydial portion 41 with the displaying on the display 21, it possible toimprove the operability for the user.

It should be noted that, in FIG. 18, the display object for theapplication corresponding to the icon I on the rotary dial portion 41,the icon I being currently positioned in the selection position (mark)S, is displayed on the display 21 so as to be larger than the adjacentdisplay objects for the other applications. Moreover, the rotary dialportion 41 is shown in an enlarged manner in Y of FIG. 18.

Next, advantages in allocating the abstract symbols to the rotary dialportion 41 are described. For example, in a case in which the mailfunction is activated by an operation of the rotary dial portion 41, inwhich the mail that is being browsed includes a feature capable ofaccessing a predetermined Web page (a so-called hyperlink function), andthe function is selected and the predetermined Web page is browsed, thebrowser function is activated, and the mail function is terminated orenters a non-active state. Under such circumstances, in a case in whichindicators (e.g., icons represented by pictures) directly connected tothe applications to be activated are allocated to the rotary dialportion 41, there is a possibility that the indication (the mailfunction) on the rotary dial portion 41 may be different from thecurrently active application (the browser function), and impart afeeling of discomfort to the user.

Accordingly, in the present invention, instead of a symbol directlyconnected to the currently active application, an abstract symbol isallocated to the rotary dial portion 41, a result of which thediscomfort is not imparted onto the user, even if the aforementionedsituation arises.

Moreover, relationships between respective symbols allocated to therotary dial portion 41 according to the present invention andapplications to be activated are hereinafter described with reference toFIG. 19. For example, as shown in FIG. 19A, in a case in which atriangle symbol on the rotary dial portion 41 is positioned in theselection position (mark) S, the neutral (N), which is namely thefunction to display the standby screen, is assigned to the trianglesymbol. Moreover, a calculator function is assigned to a star symbolallocated to the position that is rotated 45 degrees in the direction a.Moreover, a one-segment function is assigned to a circle symbolallocated to the position that is rotated 45 degrees in the direction b.In addition, the mail function is assigned to a rectangle symbolallocated to the position that is rotated 90 degrees in the direction b.Moreover, the address book function is assigned to a cross (x) symbolallocated to the position that is rotated 135 degrees in the direction b(refer to FIG. 19B). Moreover, the rotary dial portion 41 isrotationally moved in response to the operation by the user so as to berotated 45 degrees in the direction b, and a predetermined operation isperformed whereby the one-segment function assigned to the circle symbolis activated.

When the user performs a termination operation for the one-segmentfunction (e.g., a depression operation of the on-hook key), theone-segment function is terminated, and the standby screen is resumed(refer to FIG. 19C). In this case, the function to display the standbyscreen is assigned to the circle symbol, and the calculator function isassigned to the triangle symbol allocated to the position that isrotated 45 degrees in the direction a. Moreover, an alarm function isassigned to the star symbol allocated to the position that is rotated 90degrees in the direction a. In addition, the one-segment function isassigned to the rectangle symbol allocated to the position that isrotated 45 degrees in the direction b. Furthermore, the mail function isassigned to the cross (x) symbol allocated to the position that isrotated 90 degrees in the direction b (refer to FIGS. 19D and 19E).Additionally, the cellular telephone terminal 1 may be configured so asto perform displaying on the display 21 and the sub display 23 in orderto visually indicate the relationship between the abstract indicators asshown in FIGS. 193 and 19D and the functions thereof.

Moreover, FIG. 20 shows the relationship between the respective symbolsallocated to the rotary dial portion 41 and the applications originallyassigned thereto, as well as the relationship between the respectivesymbols and the applications assigned thereto after the on-hookoperation.

With such a configuration, the function to display the standby screen isassigned to a symbol that is positioned in the selection position (mark)S at the time when the standby screen is displayed. Accordingly, it isalways possible to activate a predetermined application in accordancewith a certain operation from the standby screen, and to achieve animprovement in the operability.

Here, configurations for implementing the aforementioned functions aredescribed. As shown in FIG. 21, the cellular telephone terminal 1 isprovided with: the display 21 that displays predetermined information;the sub display 23 that displays predetermined information; the rotarydial portion 41 that is rotated according to the user's operation; thecommunication unit 60 that performs communication with externalterminals; the processing unit 70 that performs predeterminedprocessing; the rechargeable battery 80 having a predetermined capacity;and the power supply circuit unit 90, which converts a power supplyvoltage supplied from the rechargeable battery 80 into a predeterminedvoltage, and which feeds the converted voltage to the communication unit60, the processing unit 70 and the like.

The communication unit 60 is provided with: the main antenna 61 thatperforms communications with an external device at a predeterminedfrequency band to be used; and the communication processing unit 62 thatperforms signal processing such as modulation processing or demodulationprocessing.

The main antenna 61 performs communication with the external device(base station) at a predetermined frequency band to be used (e.g., 800MHz). It should be noted that, although the predetermined frequency bandto be used is 800 MHz in the present embodiment, another frequency bandmay be used. Moreover, in addition to the predetermined frequency bandto be used, the main antenna 61 may be configured with a so-called dualband adaptive type that is adaptive to a second frequency band to beused (e.g., 2 GHz), and furthermore, it may be configured with amultiple band adaptive type that is adaptive to a third frequency bandto be used.

The communication processing unit 62 applies demodulation processing tosignals received by the main antenna 61, and supplies the processedsignals to the processing unit 70, while the communication processingunit 62 applies modulation processing to the signals supplied from theprocessing unit 70, and transmits the signals to the external device(base station) through the main antenna 61.

The power supply circuit unit 90 transforms a power supply voltage,which is supplied from the rechargeable battery 80, to a predeterminedvoltage value, and supplies the transformed voltage to the communicationunit 60, the processing unit 70 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 22, the processing unit 70 is provided with: a rotationdetecting part 701 that detects a rotation amount at a time when therotary dial portion 41 is rotated; a memory unit 702 that stores therotation amount, which is detected by the rotation detecting part 701,and the applications to be activated, by associating thereof as adefined order; a display object selecting part 703, which identifies anapplication corresponding to the rotation amount detected by therotation detecting part 701, and which selects a display objectcorresponding to the identified application; and a control part 704 thatdisplays the display objects on the display part.

Moreover, when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated, the display objectselecting part 703 identifies an application corresponding to therotation amount detected by the rotation detecting part 701, and selectsa display object corresponding to the identified application as well asdisplay objects corresponding to applications adjacent to the identifiedapplication in accordance with the defined order. Moreover, the controlpart 704 controls such that the selected display objects are displayedon the display 21 in place of a predetermined standby screen.

It should be noted that, although the rotation detecting part 701detects an amount of change of the angle of the rotary dial portion 41as the rotation amount in the present example, it is not limitedthereto, and the change depending on the rotation of the rotary dialportion 41 may detected and, for example, a change of resistivity may bedetected as the rotation amount.

With such a configuration, the present invention makes it possible todisplay the rotation situation on the display 21 in an enlarged mannerin accordance with the rotation of the rotary dial portion 41, therebymaking it possible to improve the operability by the rotary dial portion41.

Moreover, as described above, the abstract symbols are allocated to thesurface of the rotary dial portion 41 in predetermined intervals in therotation direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 22, the processing unit70 is provided with a rotation amount memory unit 705 and a substitutionunit 706.

The rotation amount memory unit 705 stores the rotation amount detectedby the rotation detecting part 701.

In a case in which an application corresponding to the rotation amountstored in the rotation amount memory unit 705 is activated, andthereafter another application is activated without being based on therotation amount stored in the rotation amount memory unit 705, thesubstitution unit 706 reads the rotation amount corresponding to theother application by referring to the memory unit 702, and performssubstitution with the read rotation amount.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, the symbolsallocated to the rotary dial portion 41 are the abstract ones (e.g.,circle, triangle, rectangle and the like), which do not need tocorrespond to the applications to be activated, a result of which thedifference between the activated application and the symbol on therotary dial portion 41 does not impart a feeling of discomfort onto theuser.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 22, the processing unit 70 is provided withan opened/closed detecting part 707 and a determination part 708.

The opened/closed detecting part 707 detects the opened state and theclosed state of the bodies. The determination part 708 determines thenumber of display objects to be displayed on the display 21 based on thedetection result by the opened/closed detecting part 707. Moreover, thecontrol part 704 controls such that the display objects of the numberdetermined by, the determination part 708 are displayed on the display21.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, the appearanceimage of the rotary dial portion 41, which is visually recognized by theuser in actuality, is schematically displayed on the display 21. Forexample, in a case in which the number of the symbols visuallyrecognized on the rotary dial portion 41 is 3, the number of the displayobjects displayed on the display 21 is also 3. Therefore, in the presentinvention, discomfort is not imparted onto the user in operation.

In addition, the rotary dial portion 41 is rotatably attached so as tobe coaxial with the hinge axis of the hinge mechanism 4A. Moreover, thecontrol part 704 controls such that the display objects displayed on thedisplay 21 are moved to the direction orthogonal to the hinge axis, i.e.moved to the direction that is the same as the rotation direction of theicons I allocated on the rotary dial portion 41.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, the rotationdirection of the rotary dial portion 41 is synchronized with thescrolling direction of the display objects displayed on the display 21,as result of which discomfort is not imparted onto the user.

Modified Example of First and Second Embodiments

Next, a modified example of the aforementioned first and secondembodiments is described. The present invention has a function whereby,in a configuration in which a plurality of particular applications(e.g., an application for playing music and an application forreproducing images) share a device for performing predeterminedprocessing, when the device enters an ON state as a result of activationof one particular application, the one particular application isterminated, and another application is subsequently activated, the ONstate of the device is maintained in the present condition. By havingsuch a function, a situation in which the device is frequently switchedbetween the ON state and the OFF state is avoided, thereby making itpossible to reduce the electric power consumption thereof.

Here, a configuration is described, in which a main processor 801 and acoprocessor 802 are operated in a coordinated manner, thereby reducingthe electric power consumption. It should be noted that, in thefollowing description, although it is assumed that the icons(indicators) Ia to Ih, which represent particular applications, areallocated to the rotary dial portion 41 in the rotation direction, it isnot limited thereto, and a configuration may be employed in which aplurality of identifiable abstract symbols I (e.g., circle, triangle,rectangle and the like) are respectively allocated in predeterminedintervals, as described in the second embodiment. Moreover, in thefollowing description, the processing unit 70 is configured with themain processor 801 and the coprocessor 802, as shown in FIG. 23.

The main processor 801 has: a function as a rotation detecting part thatdetects, as a rotation amount, a distance from a standard position toeach icon at the time when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated; and afunction as an application determination part that determines anapplication corresponding to the rotation amount by referring to thetable 110 stored in the memory unit 100 when the rotation amount isdetected. Moreover, the coprocessor 802 performs predeterminedprocessing in a plurality of particular applications (e.g.,corresponding to an application for playing music, an application forreproducing images, and the like).

With such a configuration, the main processor 801 controls such that, ina case in which the application determined by the applicationdetermination part is a particular application, predetermined electricpower is supplied to the device (coprocessor 802). Alternatively, thesleep mode of the device is cancelled.

Moreover, in the table 110 stored in the memory unit 100, eachapplication is associated with each rotation amount such that particularapplications are adjacent to each other in the rotation direction of therotary dial portion 41. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the icons Ia toIh, which represent the particular applications, are allocated to therotary dial portion 41 in the rotation direction.

According to the present invention, for example, in a case in which theapplication for browsing images is selected after activating theapplication for playing music, the device (coprocessor 802) is alreadyin an activated state, which is then continued, a result of which it ispossible to quickly display an image immediately after activating theapplication for browsing images. Moreover, since the device (coprocessor802) is not frequently switched between the ON (non-sleep) state and theOFF (sleep) state, it is possible to avoid increasing electric power. Inaddition, since the main processor 801 can transition to a standby(sleep) state while the coprocessor 802 is operating, it is possible toachieve a reduction in the electric power consumption. In this case,when the rotary dial portion 41 is rotated, the sleep state of the mainprocessor 801 is cancelled by interrupting thereof.

Moreover, after the OS (Operating System) is activated by turning on themain power supply, the main processor 801 detects a rotation amount inaccordance with the rotation operation of the rotary dial portion 41,identifies a particular application based on the rotation amount, and atthis time, activates the particular application by using the function ofthe standard application.

With such a configuration, the particular applications according to thepresent invention can be installed to any kind of electronic device aslong as an OS is installed therein, and thus has versatility.

Moreover, in a case in which the main processor 801 detects a rotationamount in accordance with the rotation operation of the rotary dialportion 41 while a particular application is activated, and determinesanother particular application, which is different form the particularapplication that is currently activated, based on the rotation amount,the main processor 801 continues to feed the electric power to thedevice (corresponding to the coprocessor 802).

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, forexample, in a case in which the application for browsing images isselected after activating the application for playing music, thecoprocessor 802 is already in an activated state, which is thencontinued, a result of which it is possible to quickly display an imageimmediately after activating the application for browsing images. Inaddition, since the coprocessor 802 is not frequently switched betweenthe ON (non-sleep) state and the OFF (sleep) state, it is possible toavoid increasing electric power.

Furthermore, the coprocessor 802 is, for example, a processing unit thatdecodes encoded data. Moreover, the particular applications correspondat least to an application for playing encoded music data by using thecoprocessor 802, or an application for reproducing encoded image data byusing the coprocessor 802.

According to the present invention, since the electric power supply tothe coprocessor 802 is not stopped, for example, in a case in which theapplication for playing music data has been selected, and theapplication for reproducing image data is selected thereafter, quickactivation of the latter is possible.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 11 is provided with thecall-end key 14 a, which is used for instructing termination of a call,and which is used for instructing termination of an application in acase in which the application is being activated by using the functionof the standard application. It should be noted that the call-end key 14a corresponds to the so-called on-hook key.

Furthermore, after the OS is activated by turning on the main powersupply, the main processor 801 displays a predetermined standby screenon the display 21, detects a rotation amount in accordance with therotation operation of the rotary dial portion 41, identifies aparticular application based on the rotation amount, and at this time,activates the particular application in place of the standby screen byusing the function of the standard application, and controls a supply ofpredetermined electric power to the device (coprocessor 802).Subsequently, when the call-end key 14 a is depressed, the mainprocessor 801 terminates the particular application, shuts off thefeeding of the predetermined electric power to the device (coprocessor802), and thereafter displays the predetermined standby screen on thedisplay 21.

With such a configuration, in the present invention, when a particularapplication is being activated, there is a possibility that anotherparticular application is activated, and thus the activation state ofthe coprocessor 802 continues to be maintained as the ON (non-sleep)state. Moreover, when a depression operation of the call-end key 14 a isconfirmed, the coprocessor 802 is switched to the OFF state, and thepredetermined standby screen is displayed on the display 21, Therefore,in the present invention, the coprocessor 802 is not always switched tothe OFF state at the time of terminating a particular application, andthe ON state is maintained in a case of continuous use, whereby it ispossible to appropriately manage the power supply of the coprocessor802, and to enhance the effect of saving electric power.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising: adisplay part; a rotary dial portion that is attached to a body so as tobe rotatable in a predetermined direction; a touch sensor that detectscontact to the rotary dial portion; a rotation detecting part thatdetects rotation of the rotary dial portion; and a control part thatcontrols such that a predetermined application is selected in accordancewith a rotation state detected by the rotation detecting part, and adisplay screen corresponding to the activated predetermined applicationis displayed on the display part, wherein the control part controls suchthat the selected application is activated.